Dragons: The Edge and Beyond
by Musical Ninja
Summary: While infiltrating the dragon auction, Hiccup and friends discover another group of people who also care for dragons from an unknown land. At the same time, Snotlout encounters a girl who he thinks could be the love of his life. Only problem is she's a dragon hunter; Viggo's little sister. Where will these encounters lead. Snotlout/OC, Hiccup/Astrid, & OC/Heather possibly others.
1. The Youngest Grimborn

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the "Dragons" franchise. It is the property of Dreamworks animation studios and Netflix. The only thing I own is the character that I created.

 **Author's Note:** I got this idea a while back and figured it would make a great story. In this story, I'm going to introduce an original character of my own. Her name is Topaz Grimborn, the younger sister of Ryker and Viggo Grimborn. However, I think you'll find that she and her brothers are different in some areas. For instance, Topaz values human lives more than her brothers.

Also, parts of this story were part of a request from another author called the core of justice.

* * *

 **The Youngest Grimborn**

On an island in the West, things seemed quite peaceful and quiet. Not a sound could be heard save for the birds and bugs. Unfortunately, the peace was interrupted by the sounds of roaring and yelling along with dragon fire. Several Dragon Hunters were surrounding an orange Typhoomerang in hopes capturing him. But this was not just any Typhoomerang, this was Hiccup's old friend Torch. Not wanting to be their prey, Torch swished his tail and breathed fire left and right. However, the hunters refused to give up.

"It's too strong!" a hunter shouted, "We can't get a hold of it!"

"I can handle it," a female voice declared, "Team Alpha, cover me! The rest of you get the wounded and retreat to the ship!"

Everyone looked and saw a girl approaching and carrying a long spear with a shiny tip on her back. She had brown hair that ended just past her shoulders held back by a leather band and green eyes. She was dressed in a short-sleeve brown tunic, shiny metal arm bands, shoulder pads, knee pads, and chest plate, black leggings, a dark-brown skirt, a black belt with the Dragon Hunters' crest buckle made from the same metal as her padding, and dark-brown boots.

"Topaz, no!" a hunter shouted, "It's too dangerous!"

"Forget that! If this isn't stopped, those men are gonna die!" said the girl, Topaz, "Now, do as I say and get the wounded!"

"Y-yes, miss," said the hunter, and then he turned to the rest and yelled, "You heard Topaz! Grab the wounded and get to the ship!"

The other hunters did as they were told and gathered up the wounded as quickly as they could. Topaz and her companions brandished their weapons and prepared for battle. Torch saw the three hunters coming at him and tried to breathe fire at them. Unfortunately, the hunters dodged the blow and several of the team managed to rope the dragon and attempted to hold him down. Torch prepared to fire again only, this time, Topaz saw what he was about to do.

"Not this time," she said, grabbing a bola.

Topaz threw the bola with all her might the ropes wrapped around Torch's mouth. He tried to open his mouth to fire, but his mouth was sealed up tight. Torch continued to struggle to get free and the hunters kept holding him down. It seemed like Torch was going to escape when a hunter managed to fire a dragon root arrow at his neck, weakening him.

Topaz smiled at the scene and turned to her men and said, "Great job, people. Now let's load this one up with the others we've already captured. And then we're heading to the coordinates that were given to the navigator."

"Yes, ma'am!" the hunters said, and then proceeded to do their assigned task.

"And make sure to get the wounded treated," Topaz added as she made her way to the dragon that her men were loading. She glared at Torch and said, "You caused a lot of injuries today. Let's hope we get enough for you at the auction so I can compensate their families."

Torch was then pulled aboard the ship and locked inside a cage. He looked around and, even in his disoriented state, Torch could make out several other caged dragons. He could see at least four Thunderdrums, a Scauldron, a pack of Speed Stingers, and others. He feared what these humans had in store for him and these other dragons and hoped that Hiccup could save them all.

* * *

Outside the prison hold, Topaz stopped by the infirmary and asked the doctor, "How are they?"

"They all have terrible burns. Some have fractures and others have nasty cuts," said the doctor. He signed and continued, "Most of them will be out of commission for a while."

"Will they recover?" Topaz asked in concern.

"With work, they should make a full recovery," said the doctor, "But, at this point, they're going to need lots of rest."

"I understand," said Topaz, "Please, take care of them; they're loyal to me and my family and several of them have families of their own."

"I'll do everything I can to help them," said the doctor.

"Thank you, doctor," said Topaz.

And with that, she made her way above deck to meet up with the rest of her crew. One of the hunters approached Topaz to speak to her.

"I heard that you stopped by the infirmary to check on the wounded," he said, "That was unexpected. It was kind of you, really, but unexpected."

"I felt it was my duty to make sure that the men make a full recovery," said Topaz, "They were put under my command, which makes them my responsibility."

"Even so," said the hunter, "I can't say I expected to be under the command of someone so compassionate. I've served your brothers and they were not so compassionate; excuse my boldness."

"It's alright," said Topaz, "I already know how my brothers can be when it comes to how they treat the hunters they command. That's where we differ in opinion."

"I can tell," said the hunter, "Your orders?"

"I've given the coordinates to the navigator," said Topaz, "I received them recently. We're heading to the island these coordinates take us to. And make sure to keep that Scauldron wet and hydrated enough to keep it alive."

"What's going on there?" the hunter asked.

"My brother, Viggo's, having an auction," said Topaz, "A dragon auction. And I think that Typhoomerang that we just captured might be the crown jewel."

* * *

After about two weeks of sailing, Topaz's ship finally made it to the secret island where the auction was to be held. Waiting for her at the dock were Viggo and Ryker, Topaz's older brothers. Once the ship docked, Topaz disembarked to allow her brothers to greet her.

"Topaz," said Viggo with a smile, "So good to see you, little sister."

"Hi, Viggo. Hi, Ryker," said Topaz, hugging her brothers, "How are you doing? Have those dragon riders you've been writing to me about been giving you any trouble?"

"Unfortunately, yes," said Ryker with disdain, "But, I doubt we'll be seeing them here."

"That's good to hear," said Topaz, "And here's my contribution to the auction."

Topaz snapped her fingers and her hunters started unloading the dragons she had captured. Viggo and Ryker were impressed by the number of them; different sizes too. She had the hunters stop when they brought Torch on the deck and led her brothers to his cage.

"Believe me, none of the dragons were all that easy to capture. But _this one_ in particular gave me a heck of a lot of trouble," Topaz explained, "It nearly killed a bunch of my crew. I was thinking, given its' strength and power, it might be appropriate to start the bidding for this guy higher than most of the other dragons."

Viggo looked closely at Torch and seemed to be pondering his sisters' suggestion. While he could care less about her crew, he did admit that this dragon was a fine specimen; probably worth what his sister said.

"Sounds fair," said Viggo. He then looked at the hunter and said, "Put it with the other larger ones."

"A dragon like that should get us quite a bit of coin," said Ryker.

"I agree," said Topaz.

"Come, brother and sister," said Viggo, "We must make sure the preparations are coming along as planned."

The siblings then left the docks and walked through the grounds; Viggo was pleased to see that everything needed for the auction was nearly complete. As they walked through the grounds, Topaz caught a whiff of something that made her recoil in disgust.

"Uck! What is that?" she said, "It smells gross."

"Viggo says it's gold," said Ryker.

"Well, his _gold_ smells like shit," said Topaz.

Viggo rolled his eyes and said, "The gold comes from selling the creatures that are creating the _shit_. You see, my dear sister, as I explained to Ryker, this auction will not only bring us wealth, but will cement my reputation as the most prolific dealer of dragons, both living and not."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Topaz, "But that smell is still gross."

Viggo cleared his throat and continued, "However, to really make this goal possible, everything must go off with perfection." he looked at Ryker and asked, "How is security coming along?"

"Catapults are doubled. Watchtowers are going up," said Ryker, "No riders'gonna spoil this auction."

In response, Viggo, much to Ryker's annoyance, patted Ryker on the head and said, "See what you can do when you put your mind to it, big brother?"

Ryker growled at Viggo while Topaz let out a disappointed sigh and said, "Kind of a shame, really. I was looking forward to meeting those guys. You know, give them a taste of all three Grimborn siblings."

"While I do sympathize, little sister, their appearance here could jeopardize our chances of success," said Viggo, "Ryker, any news on our special guest?"

"Are you sure he's coming?" Ryker asked skeptically.

"Positive," said Viggo.

Topaz groaned and said, "Please tell me you guess aren't talking about that Krogan guy."

"We most certainly are," said Viggo, smiling like everything was all well and good.

Topaz, on the other hand, frowned and said, "You've got to be kidding. Of all people, you guys are hoping for _him?_ "

"He happens to be a very wealthy man," Viggo explained, "We would be _fools_ to refuse him."

"Yeah, but he gives me the creeps," said Topaz.

Viggo ignored his sister and said to his brother, "Ryker, the second you have confirmation of his arrival..."

"I will let you know," said Ryker.

"Of course you will," said Viggo, and then walked away.

As he walked away, Viggo looked up at the sky as though he suspected that someone was watching him and his siblings. However, he ignored it because he was confident that even anyone was watching, they would not be able to do anything. Topaz got the same feeling, only she did not disregard it and made a mental note to set up some extra booby traps before the auction.

Off in the distance, Hiccup and Toothless were hiding behind the clouds spying on the auction through a spyglass.

"I see Terrible Terrors and a few crates of Fireworms," said Hiccup, looking around the auction, "But where are they hiding all the big dragons?"

After he finished his recon, Hiccup had Toothless turn around and fly back to Dragon's Edge, leaving the Dragon Hunters none the wiser.

* * *

Hiccup later returned to Dragon's Edge and gathered everyone together in the clubhouse. Hiccup unrolled a map of the auction island that Johann had stolen from two men at a tavern and explained what he found to the group.

"Extra ships on the perimeter. Guards everywhere. Catapults and watchtowers on the cliffs. Dragon Root arrows and launchers on every sea stack within a half mile," Hiccup explained, "There's no way in or out. Period."

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup, think positive," said Tuffnut.

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Hiccup asked.

"Rapid fire! Mug half empty or half full?" Tuffnut asked.

"Definitely empty," said Hiccup.

"Don't waste your time," said Ruffnut.

Hiccup went back to discussing the auction with the others and said, "It is, however, the perfect opportunity to put a dent in Viggo's dragon trade."

"But how?" Astrid asked.

"Astrid, I'm sure Hiccup has an idea," Fishlegs said with a laugh. He then turned his attention to the leader and asked, "You do have an idea, right?*

"Let me guess: cruise right into the place and announce ourselves, right?" Snotlout asked, laughing as he leaned against the wall.

"No," said Hiccup, "I think we need someone to get close to Viggo and keep him busy while we find the rest of those dragons. Now, it has to be someone Viggo wouldn't suspect, because he's never seen him up close."

Immediately, everyone looked over at Snotlout, who was picking his nose. The group recoiled in disgust as he removed his finger and had Hookfang lick it.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Astrid.

"No, he's the only one who was never captured by Viggo or Ryker," said Hiccup, "He's the only one they don't know."

"He's the only one who's clueless enough to actually pull it off," Fishlegs added.

Snotlout, unaware that his friends were talking about him, laughed a little and said to his dragon, "Sounds like a real _winner_ , Hookfang. Right? I'd hate to be caught dead with that guy." Snotlout then realized who they meant and asked, "Wait, what?"

Johann walked over to Hiccup, a grim expression on his face, and told him, "I hate to be the bearer of most unfortunate news, Master Hiccup, but, unless you're hiding a pile of gold in the crevices of your tunic, you won't _see_ the dragons, let alone _bid_ on them."

Hiccup had to admit, Johann made a good point; the Grimborn's would only allow people who have gold on hand to enter their auction and Snotlout did not exactly fit they bill, even if they gave him a makeover. That was when Hiccup got an idea about where they could get the funds necessary to enter the auction.

* * *

Hiccup and the dragon riders made their way back to Berk and Hiccup went to his father, who was with Gobber, and told him that he had a plan to put a dent in Viggo's dragon trade, but he would need Berk's gold to do that. Stoick and Gobber laughed at him when he told them, and then got serious as they told him that what he was suggesting was seriously risky. Hiccup was able to convince his father to let him use the gold by telling him that Viggo is ruthless and the profits Viggo would gain from the auction would enable him to by the ships and fire power he would need to become unstoppable; no dragons would be safe, not even Berk's.

Hiccup then explained his entire plan to send in one of his team into the auction under a false identity and keep Viggo busy while everyone else freed the dragons. Upon seeing that Hiccup was planning on sending Snotlout in, Stoick was quick to tell Hiccup that his plan was not going to work. Hiccup insisted that it would work. Finally, Stoick agreed to go along with the plan, only under the condition that Gobber go in with Snotlout.

One hour later and everything was ready. The boat that Gobber and Snotlout were to use was loaded with the previsions that they would need for their trip and they changed the sail to a different one so as not to advertise where they were truly from. Gobber went to go get the gold that they needed, while Snotlout waited at the docks, in full costume, hair colored blonde in all, and sulked.

"I can't believe I have to do this with Gobber," said Snotlout, "It's like Stoick doesn't trust me."

"It's not like that," said Hiccup, "It's just that there's a lot riding on this and we're using Berk's gold to get in there. Plus, no offense, but you can sometimes get a little distracted."

"Whatever," said Snotlout.

"Oh, listen, that reminds me, there's something you need to know about and stay away from," said Hiccup, "While I was spying on the auction, I saw a girl there."

"A girl?" Snotlout asked, taking interest, "What's she look like? Is she hot? You think she's available? You think she'd like me?"

"Snotlout, focus!" Hiccup yelled, grabbing his cousins' shoulders and shaking him a little, "This girl is a dragon hunter. I'm telling you about her now because I don't want you to run into her and get distracted by how pretty she is and forget about the mission. You have to stay away from her as much as you can."

Snotlout removed Hiccup's hands and said, "Hiccup, relax, you have nothing to worry about. My focus will be on the mission."

"Do you promise?" Hiccup asked, slightly worried.

"Of course," said Snotlout, and then he made his voice sound posh and said, "Sir Ulgerthorpe always keeps his word."

"Sir Ulgerthorpe?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah, it's my fake name," said Snotlout, in his normal voice, "Pretty cool, right?"

"Well, Viggo certainly won't know the difference," said Hiccup, and then muttered, "I hope."

Right on cue, Gobber arrived at the docks with a big chest of gold and said, "Alright, let's get this show on the road."

"Of course," said Snotlout, in the posh voice, "Let us be on our way."

And with that, Snotlout and Gobber boarded their board and set sail for the auction. Hiccup hoped that Snotlout really would keep his word and not flirt with that girl he saw.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** That was chapter 1. What did you people think? Be honest now. I will go back and re-due it if necessary.


	2. More Dragon Riders

**Author's Note:** In this chapter, some new characters from a new land will make an appearance. I hope you like them.

* * *

 **More Dragon Riders**

While Hiccup was doing recon, he did not notice that there werhe also two other dragons near by with people on their backs. One dragon was a male with a man riding him and the other one was a female with a young girl riding her.

The man appeared to be in his early twenties and had very tan skin, short brown hair, and brown eyes. He wore a black tunic, dark brown pants, brown boots, brown wristbands, a red scarf around his neck and a belt with a holster for his sword. His name was Morgan Krory.

The girl appeared to be around the same age as Hiccup and his friends. She had tan skin, long brown hair, and green eyes. She wore a dark brown dress, black leggings, brown boots, black wristbands, a quiver full of arrows and a bow. Her name was Alexa Krory, Morgan's younger sister.

"Look at this, Alexa," said Morgan in disgust, "Selling these poor creatures like they're merchandise. It's sickening."

"I know, Morgan," said Alexa, sadness in her voice, "I can't believe the carelessness of these people."

"Unfortunately, little sister, not everyone shares our people's love and respect for dragons," said Morgan, "Some people still fear dragons. And others... Others see them as merely tools or accessories. And there are those who seek only to use their body parts."

"That's so cruel," said Alexa, on the verge of tears.

"I know. But we can't change other people. All we can do is rescue these dragons and offer them sanctuary in our kingdom," said Morgan. He turned his attention to his dragon and said, "Let's go, boy; back to the base."

"You're right," said Alexa, "General Uranus will know what to do. Let's go, girl."

With that, the dragon riders flew away back to the island that they were using for their base of operations.

* * *

They later arrived at their base, which was inside of a cave on an island where no one lived. Morgan and Alexa had their dragons wait outside with six other dragons while they met up with their team, Soren, Gordon, Lyra, Irene, Juno, and Uranus.

Soren was roughly a year or two younger than Morgan, had about the same skin complexion and had black hair and brown eyes. He wore a purple tunic, light grey pants, a leather belt, a leather holster around his shoulders for a pair of twin blades, a purple bandana, leather wristbands, and black boots.

Gordon was an older man with lighter skin, grey hair, and green eyes. He wore a grey tunic, black leather wristbands, a holster around his torso for his large sword, dark blue pants, and dark brown boots. He also wore an eye patch over his left eye since he lost his eye in a battle many years ago.

Lyra was around the age of Hiccup and his friends and had light skin, short blonde hair and blue eyes. Her outfit consisted of a red tunic, an orange skirt, red leggings, light brown boots, and a leather band on her head. She also had a holster around her torso for her battle axe.

Irene was about the age of Morgan and had slightly tan skin, long red hair in a ponytail, and green eyes. She wore a black tunic, black pants, and black boots. Around her waist was a leather belt with a holster for her short sword.

Juno was about Lyra and Alexa's age, had a fair complexion and shoulder length black hair and brown eyes. She wore a dark blue dress with a leather belt around her waist, black leggings, and brown boots. She also had a holster around her torso for her spear.

Uranus was another older man with tan skin, black hair with some grey patches, and green eyes. He wore a black tunic with leather belt with a holster for his sword, dark brown pants, black leather wristbands, and brown boots. His arms had scars on them from his previous battles.

"So, what have you two found out?" General Uranus asked.

"We found a few smaller dragons from our hiding place," said Alexa, "He must have the larger ones hidden away somewhere."

"So, in other words, we'll have to get in there in order to find those dragons," said Soren.

"I'm not sure that we can," said Morgan, pulling out a drawn map of the island where the auction was to be held, "They have extra ships on the perimeter. Guards have been posted everywhere. I also saw catapults and watchtowers on the cliffs. They even have Dragon Root arrows and launchers on every sea stack within a half mile. All in all, there's no way in or out."

"So I copied that map that those two jerks stole for nothing?" Irene asked, "Great."

"Not exactly," said Gordon, "There is one way to get in, but it's risky."

"Please, tell us," said Alexa.

"Yeah," said Juno, "I'm open to suggestions."

"We could send two people in posing as rich people interested in buying their own dragon in the auction," said Gordon, "While the rest of us sneak in and search for the dragons."

"You're right, that does sound risky," said Lyra, "So who's gonna do it?"

"It has to be someone that the Grimborn's would never suspect," said Irene.

"In that case, we shall send in Alexa," said Uranus, "She has the best acting skills, so she will be less suspicious in their eyes."

"I don't know, sir," said Morgan, "I don't like the idea of sending my little sister, whom I helped to bring up, into the auction as a spy."

"Don't you worry, Morgan," said Soren, putting a hand on Alexa's shoulder," I'll be right by her side protecting her."

"I don't know," said Morgan, still unsure.

"Morgan, please, you can trust me," said Soren, "You're my best friend, I'll always look out for you and your sister."

Morgan thought about it for a moment and then answered, "Alright, you two can go."

"Yes!" Soren cheered, and then he cleared his throat and said, "You can count on me."

"Good, we have our spies. Now we just need to worry about how we're gonna get in," said Lyra. Everyone looked at her, "What? This is an auction. Unless someone has a secret stash of gold somewhere, Alexa and Soren aren't getting in."

"I already have that taken care of," said Juno. She whistled and her Gronkle, Boulder, came in carrying a large chest. After the dragon put the chest on the floor, Juno opened it and revealed many gold coins. Everyone was shocked, but Juno merely smiled and said, "I bet you thought I packed clothes in here."

"Where did you get that?" Irene asked.

"From the king," said Juno, "He figured it might come in handy."

"And boy was he right," said Lyra, smirking.

"So, we have our volunteers and our funds," said Uranus, "Now we just need to get everyone ready."

The team wasted no time in the preparations. Soren and Alexa were given new clothes and some jewelry to wear. The group also styled their hair and put makeup on the pair. Soren was now dressed in a light brown Tunic, black pants and black boots. A leather belt with a fire bird buckle was around his waist and wore a pair of jeweled gold bracelets around his wrists and an emerald ring on his right ring finger. Alexa changed into a light blue dress with a leather belt, black leggings, and brown boots. She also had a golden necklace with an emerald, an emerald ring on her right ring finger, and emerald ear rings. She even had her hair styled the way one would often see on a princess or noble woman.

"There. You both look great," said Uranus, "Remember, your job is to keep an eye on the auction and make sure no one spots us while we're searching for the trapped dragons."

"Of course," said Alexa.

"We may need to get a hold of an auction manifest," said Uranus, "So we may need one or both of you to keep a lookout while we sneak in and have Irene read it."

"You got it," said Soren.

"And don't forget, you two are going to be posing as a married couple," said Uranus, "And your names are Lord Xander and Lady Delilah Falcon."

"Right," said Soren and Alexa; the idea gave him a brief mental image of himself and Alexa at a marriage alter.

"Hold on," said Morgan, "Why are they posing as a married couple?"

"Actually, it makes perfect sense," said Juno, "They might find it more believable that these two are together at the auction because they're married."

"She's right," said Gordon, "That is the most believable story."

"Yeah. But still-" Morgan began.

"It's really not a big deal, brother," said Alexa, "We're only acting."

"Yeah. It's not like we're actually getting married or anything," said Soren; though he could not help picturing himself and Alexa getting married.

At that statement, Morgan sighed and said, "Fine. We'll be hiding underneath the floor boards in the ship's lower deck. We'll sneak out when the coast is clear at the dock and then keep to the shadows."

With that settled, everyone went to do their assigned tasks. As much as Morgan did not like having his sister act as a spy, Morgan knew that they had no other options if they wanted to rescue the dragons. And so, everyone else went below and hid while Soren and Alexa stayed above to play their parts. As they sailed for the auction, the group only hoped that they could succeed in their mission to save the dragons.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And that was chapter 2. Hope it was as good as the first.


	3. Infiltration and Flirtation

**Infiltration and Flirtation**

The day of the auction finally arrived and the Dragon Hunters were welcoming the bidders as they arrived. Viggo and his siblings were quite pleased with the turn out, even though they had yet to see the man that they were waiting for. Suddenly, the Grimborn's siblings heard an unfamiliar voice announce someone.

"Hear ye, hear ye. The honorable... Sir Ulgerthorpe," said an older man with a hook for an arm; Gobber.

Right after Gobber announced the fake name, a blonde Snotlout came walking down the gangplank carrying a chest which contained Berk's gold. At the same time, Soren and Alexa arrived in their boat, secretly hiding the rest of their team undergroundearth the boards.

"Don't just stand there babbling to the peasants," said Snotlout/ Sir Ulgerthorpe. He tossed Gobber the chest and ordered, "Carry my gold."

Begrudgingly, Gobber did as he was told and carried the chest as he followed Snotlout through the harbor. They got some weird looks from some nasty looking fellows, but Snotlout paid them no mind as he tossed each of them a gold coin from his pocket and said things like "get yourself a new axe" or "get yourself a new tunic" or "get yourself a new face". Soren rolled his eyes at the scene.

"What a snob," he whispered to Alexa.

"Seems like it," said Alexa, "But if we want to keep from being found out, that is how we must be."

"Are you serious?" Soren asked.

"Yes," said Alexa, "Many of the clientele here act somewhat like that man. So it's important that we act like that as well in order to pretend that we belong."

"Okay," said Soren, whilst secretly thinking, ' _I can't believe I'm doing this. But it's the only way to save the dragons and protect my princess... I mean my best friends' sister._ '

With that, Soren disembarked from the boat and then held his hand out to Alexa. Alexa put her hand in his and disembarked from the boat as well. Together, they walked through the harbor as well and hoped that the cost would be clear soon, otherwise their team would be unable to get out and free the dragons. As they arrived, the couple saw all three Grimborn siblings waiting at the end.

"Sir-" Viggo began, and Snotlout finished for him.

"Ulgerthorpe," Snotlout said, "Learn the name. Live the name. Love the name."

"Of?" Viggo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Does it matter?" Snotlout asked and then gestured to Gobber, who opens the chest and reveals the gold.

Viggo seems interested upon seeing the gold; this person could be a potential new client. Snotlout was about to leave when Viggo grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"There is one thing," said Viggo, giving Snotlout a suspicious look, "I feel like I know you from somewhere. Do I?"

Snotlout became nervous about the question. He had no idea how to answer that. What if Viggo does not believe him? What if he accidentally blows his cover?

"My brother asked you a question," said Ryker, "Does he know you from somewhere?"

"Wha… Ha!" said Snotlout nervously. "Does he know me from somewhere? Does he know me from somewhere?" He quickly looked at Gobber. "Hey, does he _know_ me from somewhere?"

Gobber was about to answer the question when a feminine voice said, "I don't see how it matters where you know him. The guy has money and he came all this way to bid on our auction. We'd have to be out of our minds to refuse him."

Snotlout followed the voice and his jaw dropped at the sight of an amazingly beautiful girl. He thought she could not possibly be real, she must be an angel, a valkerie, a goddess sent from Valhalla. Ryker noticed the way Snotlout was staring at her and grabbed his shirt collar, forced him to face him, and gave him a death glare.

"Don't even think about it," Ryker said in a threatening tone, "If you lay so much as a finger on my sister, you'll lose a limb, or an eye, or your tongue."

"Now let's not not be too hasty. I was merely admiring her. I had no intention of doing anything inappropriate to your-" Snotlout explained. Before he could finish, Snotlout caught on to what Ryker said and was shocked, "Sister?!"

"Yes. Sister," said Ryker, "And I am her brother; her _older_ brother. As her older brother, it is my duty to make sure scumbags don't take advantage of her."

"I can assure you, I am not a scumbag," said Snotlout.

Soren and Alexa were watching and were concerned. They wanted to help, but they could not or they would risk exposing themselves. Gobber was trying to figure out the best way to save Snotlout without exposing them both as well. Fortunately, someone did intervene; Viggo.

Viggo pulled them apart and said, "Settle down, Ryker. There's no need for death or mutilation threats. After all, it's as our dear sister said, we wouldn't want to refuse the man's money." Snotlout breathed a sigh of relief and then Viggo turned to him and said, "However, that does not mean that I will allow you to court my sister. You may do so only if you can prove to me that you are worthy of her. Until you have done that, Topaz is off limits. Is that understood?"

"Yes. Of course Mr. Grimborn," said Snotlout.

"Good," said Viggo, "Now, move along."

Snotlout nodded and he and Gobber walked away from the Grimborn siblings. After they were gone, Soren and Alexa started to follow in the same direction, only to be stopped by Topaz.

"I don't think I've seen you around before," said Topaz, "You two have names?"

"Of course. I am Lady Delilah Falcon of Lightning Island," Alexa introduced herself in a lady-like fashion. She then gestured to Soren and continued, "This is my husband Lord Xander. We came here in hopes of finding a new guard beast for our home."

Topaz smiled at that and said, "I think you just might find what you're looking for; provided you have the gold for it."

"That won't be a problem," said Soren, presenting a chest full of gold.

"Okay. Go ahead," said Topaz, letting the couple through, "Enjoy the auction."

The couple thanked Topaz and then walked away. Once they were out of earshot, Soren and Alexa decided to use that as their chance to talk.

"Boy, that was close," Soren whispered to Alexa, "Way to think on your feet."

"Not my first time doing improve," said Alexa, "Now, all we need to do is make sure the attention is on us while the others look for the dragons."

"Shouldn't be too hard for us," said Soren, confidently.

"I hope you're right," said Alexa.

* * *

A few hours later, the Draconian's were about ready to sneak out of their hiding place and try to locate the dragons and free them. Unfortunately, they stopped when they heard footsteps and voices. As it turns out, Trader Johann had arrived at the same time with his ship and Ryker and a few other dragon hunters were not too pleased with his arrival.

"I'd turn it around," said Ryker, "You have no business here."

"Says who?" Johann nervously asked.

"You haven't the gold nor the constitution to stomach this," said Ryker.

"While you certainly speak the truth, Mr. Ryker, I do bring your brother an offering," said Johann.

"What kind of offering?" Ryker asked in curiosity.

"It's down below," said Johann, "I guarantee you that your brother will be most pleased."

Ryker opened the door to the lower deck and peered down. His went wide at what he saw. He turned back to his men and said, "Get Viggo. He needs to see this."

Ryker was just about to go get him when Johann got in his way and said, "You must have misunderstood me, Mr. Ryker. I simply brought an offering. I'd just as soon off load it and be on my merry way, if it's all the same to you."

"Yeah, well, it's not all the same to me," said Ryker. He turned to his men and repeated, "Get Viggo."

"No need, big brother," said a new voice. The men all looked and saw Viggo approaching; Topaz close behind.

"Mr. Grimborn, what a pleasant surprise," Johann greeted as Viggo walked across the gangplank and then across the deck, "And Ms. Grimborn. So good to see you."

"You too, Johann," said Topaz, smiling warmly, "Got anything new?"

"Just an offering for your brother," said Johann.

Ryker led Viggo to the lower deck and revealed a Razor Whip, a Monstrous Nightmare, a Hideous Zippleback, a Deadly Nadder, and a Gronkle all locked up in cages. Viggo seemed intrigued by the creatures as he looked them over. Topaz came down after her brothers and was amazed at the dragons inside. Johann came up behind him and started to explain to him about the dragons.

"As I was endeavouring to explain to your brother, I wanted to present you with these dragons for your auction as a sign of respect," Johann explained. "And as an exchange for future safe passage in my trading lanes. Maybe?"

"Where did you get them?" Topaz asked.

"I found them caught in some old dragon traps," said Johann, "And then I remembered these cages that I got from the northern markets and figured that I could give them to your brother."

Viggo gave his usual emotionless stare as he turned around to face Johann. A hunter shoved Johann as he walked past him. The trader was nervous until Viggo finally spoke up.

"Trader Johann, perhaps I've judged you a bit hastily," said Viggo, "This is a splendid and most generous gesture."

"I agree," said Topaz, "You got some really good ones."

Viggo was just about to leave when he heard a squeak undergroundearth his foot. He looked down and saw that the floor board he had stepped on was loose, which made him suspicious. In truth, the dragon riders and Toothless were hiding undergroundearth the floor boards as a way to sneak into the auction undetected. Unfortunately, it was starting to look like they were going to get caught.

Not wanting his passengers to be discovered, Johann tried to cover for them by saying, "The downside to an old ship, not quite as tough as she used to be. Certainly not the quality and excellence that you have, no doubt, come to expect from the vessels in your fleet. Perhaps, one day, if you should feel the need to part with-"

Before Johann could finish, Viggo shushed him and took a coin out of his tunic. He held the coin out and dropped it through the crack and listened for the coin to land on the floor. He heard a clanking sound when the coin hit the floor, indicating that the floor was hollow, which Viggo found suspicious.

Topaz gave Johann a suspicious look while Viggo kept up his emotionless stare. Johann started sweating, worried that he had been found out, and tried once again to convince the siblings to leave.

"The trade has been a bit, shall we say, sluggish lately," Johann nervously said as he sweat, "My storehouse is as empty as a tree after ringtail lemer migration."

Johann chuckled nervously after finishing his sentence and Viggo kept his composure, as though he was trying to decide whether or not to believe the trader. Viggo then led his sister up the stairs to the upper deck and followed close behind her. Johann let out a sigh of relief when they were gone, thinking that the worst was over. Suddenly, Viggo came rushing down the stairs and smashed the floor board with his foot. He looked through the hole only to find nothing but darkness. He looked more closely but still found nothing but empty dark space. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Viggo moved away from the whole to talk to Trader Johann once again. Once he was gone, Toothless moved his wings, which he used to shield himself and the dragon riders from Viggo's view; his wings were so dark that it looked more like the hold undergroundearth the floor boards was nothing but shadows.

As Viggo walked across the floor, some dust fell down through the floor boards and Tuffnut sniffed some up his nose. His nose became irritated and he knew that he was going to sneeze. The others tensed up and signaled for him not to sneeze and he tried his hardest to hold his sneeze in. Unfortunately, his efforts proved useless as he was just about to sneeze and blow their cover. Thankfully, Fishlegs covered Tuffnut's move with his hand, silencing the sneeze and leaving Viggo none the wiser.

"We accept your terms," said Viggo, and then he turned to his men and ordered them, "Off load Trader Johann's dragons and put them with the others."

"Aye, sir," said a hunter, and then he and the others went to work off loading the dragons.

Viggo started to leave as he said, "Come along, Topaz. We must get everything ready."

"Okay, Viggo," Topaz replied with a smile and went to follow him. She stopped at Trader Johann and glared at him as she whispered, "I'm watching you." And then she left the boat with her brother.

Once the Grimborn's were gone, Johann let out a breath he had been holding in and said to himself, "My poor heart will surely not withstand anymore of these harrowing moments."

* * *

After the hunters finished off loading the dragons, the Draconian's snuck out of their boat and secretly made their way to the auction. Their dragons wasted no time in sneaking into the woods and waiting for their riders to signal them.

"Man, I thought they'd never leave," said Lyra, "I was about ready to just jump out and take out as many hunters as I could and just run for it."

"If you did that, our we would have been exposed," said Uranus, "And then our plan would have been ruined."

"Still I didn't know how much longer I was gonna take hiding in that boat," said Lyra, "Sabor and I weren't made to sit around and wait for too long."

"So we noticed," said Juno, "I hope the dragons will be okay on their own."

"They'll be fine," said Gordon, "Ragnarok is very powerful, and he knows how to protect himself and others."

"Now that that's settled, I suggest that we focus on the task at hand," said Uranus, "What we need is an auction manifest and Irene can do the rest."

"You sure you can get us to where the dragons are after seeing a manifest one time?" Morgan asked.

Irene grinned in response and said, "With my perfect memory, piece of cake."

"Good," said Uranus, "Everyone, stay alert and only call your dragons if you really need them."

Everyone nodded and took off into the auction in search of a manifest. Unbeknownst to them, another group had the exact same idea and were putting it into action.


	4. New Dragon, Team Up, and Love Interest

**Author's Note:** I'm pleased that since this story has been posted it has received 9 reviews, 5 favs, and 9 follows. I'm hoping to get more as I continue to post new chapters. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I give credit for a bit that I'm slipping in here to reviewer SerenaBloom for suggesting it.

* * *

 **New Dragon, Team up, and Love Interest**

After the two groups snuck off of the boats, they made their way through the auction in search of Viggo's tent, where both parties were sure they would find an auction manifest. Hiccup had given Snotlout and Gobber specific instructions to get inside Viggo's tent any way they could and steal an auction manifest, while the Draconian's had the plan to sneak over to Viggo's tent, have Irene sneak inside, memorize the manifest, and then leave the paper behind, leaving Viggo none the wiser.

Hiccup had just split up from the group when the Draconian's noticed them. The Draconian's had no idea who the dragon riders were and assumed that they were hunters looking over the inventory. Suddenly, Astrid spotted the Draconian's and mistook them for hunters. Before anyone knew what was going on, both groups started attacking each other. Hiccup heard the commotion and rushed back to see what was going on, stopping only to signal Toothless to hide. He followed the noise and found his friends clashing weapons with some people he did not recognize. He immediately rushed to help his friends. Unfortunately, one of the members of the new group saw him.

"Crud! Another one's coming this way!" Gordon shouted, blocking Tuffnut's mace.

"I've got this!" said Lyra, kicking Heather away and running at Hiccup.

"Hiccup, run!" Astrid shouted, blocking a hit from Uranus.

Before he could even consider running away, Hiccup was forced to duck and dive to avoid her swinging axe. Before he could reach for a weapon of his own, Hiccup found himself pinned down to the ground by the girl, who was using her axe. Hiccup struggled to get free, but the girl was stronger than she looked.

"Say, you're kinda cute," said Lyra, "And feisty. I like that."

"I'm not interested," Hiccup growled, "Now, let me up."

"Sorry cutie, can't do that," said Lyra, "My friends and I have a mission, and you guys are not going to stop it."

"We'll see about that," said Hiccup, "Toothless."

Before Lyra could question his call, she was knocked off of her opponent and sent rolling. Lyra looked up to get a look at whoever it was that did that and her jaw dropped. Standing next to her opponent and growling at her was a Night Fury dragon.

"Guys! Night Fury!" Lyra screamed, getting her team's attention.

The rest of her team looked in her direction and were shocked to see a Night Fury standing next to Hiccup. They were more surprised by the fact that the Night Fury appeared to be protecting Hiccup.

"Is that Night Fury protecting him?" Juno asked.

"Impossible!" Uranus declared, "Why would a Night Fury protect him? Why is it even here?"

"Regardless, that is what the dragon is doing," said Irene, "But, still, why would a dragon protect a dragon hunter?"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" said Ruffnut, "Back up! You think _we're_ dragon hunters?"

"You mean you're not?" Gordon asked.

"No, we're not," said Fishlegs.

"We thought _you_ were dragon hunters," said Tuffnut.

"What?!" Uranus asked, "We most certainly are not! We have nothing but respect for dragons."

"So do we," said Hiccup, "On our home, Berk, we live in peace with the dragons; we even ride them."

"Our home is the same," said Morgan, "Been that way for generations."

"Really? Generations?" Tuffnut asked, "It took us about three hundred years and Hiccup losing a leg to start being friends with dragons."

"Say what now?" Lyra asked.

"Enough!" Uranus shouted, "We don't have time for this. We have a mission."

"What kind of mission?" Heather asked.

"That information is classified," said Uranus.

"Okay," said Ruffnut, "If you need us, we'll be freeing the dragons."

The Draconian's froze in place and Gordon asked, "Did you say "freeing the dragons"?"

"Yeah," said Ruffnut, casually, "That's why we're here. We're gonna free these dragons and weaken Viggo's dragon trade in the process."

"What a coincidence," said Irene, "That's what we're here for."

"Hey, why don't we work together?" Morgan suggested, "Seeing as we both have the same goal and all."

"I think that would be the best idea," said Hiccup.

"Hold it!" Uranus shouted. He then turned to Morgan and asked, "Are you seriously suggesting that we allow these strangers to help us?"

"What have we got to lose?" Morgan asked. He then pointed to each member of his team as he told the dragon riders, "I'm Morgan. This Uranus, Irene, Gordon, Juno, and Lyra."

"I'm Hiccup," said Hiccup, and then pointed to each member of his team as he said, "This is Astrid, Fishlegs, Heather, and the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut. And this is my dragon, Toothless."

"Some of those names sound kinda strange," said Lyra. She then got close to Hiccup and said, "But I'm good with whatever name comes with a face like yours."

Hiccup felt really uncomfortable with the way this girl was acting towards him, but was having a hard time getting any words out. Astrid got ticked off by the scene and decided to put a stop to it.

"Hey!" Astrid snapped, getting in between Hiccup and Lyra, "You need to back off!"

"What's your problem?" Lyra asked, "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

Astrid blushed and said, "No. He's my friend and leader."

"So that means he's available, then," said Lyra, smiling.

"I didn't say that," said Astrid.

"Alright, enough," said Hiccup, "Let's focus on getting that manifest so we can free those dragons."

"Hiccup's right," said Fishlegs, "And we need to find our dragons too. My poor Meatlug is probably worried sick about me."

"I know I'm worried about Windshear," said Heather.

"Okay, here's the plan, Irene, you'll come with me, Hiccup, Toothless, and Lyra to Viggo's tent," Morgan explained, "Everyone else, look for Hiccup's team's dragons. We'll meet up with you guys after we have the info we need."

"Yes!" Lyra cheered and Astrid groaned in annoyance.

None the less, everyone nodded and broke off to do their assigned tasks. Astrid was pretty ticked off about Hiccup being put in a group that includes a girl who is currently hitting on him. Heather seemed to notice her friends' discomfort and decided to help her.

"Don't worry about a thing, Astrid," said Heather, "It doesn't look like Hiccup was interested in her."

"I know," said Astrid, "But the very thought of her flirting with him makes my blood boil."

"I understand, Astrid," said Heather, "But right now, all we can do is try to find our dragons."

"You're right," said Astrid, "Let's find them."

And with that, the two went back to looking for their dragons.

* * *

Meanwhile, Gobber and Snotlout were outside Viggo's tent, waiting on Ryker. Snotlout was getting impatient and went into his Sir Ulgerthorpe character.

"Where is this simpleton?!" Snotlout asked in anger, still acting like a snob, "Does he make a practice of disrespecting his best clients like this?"

"You do realize you actually aren't his best client," Gobber pointed out, holding the chest of Berk's gold under his arm.

"I'm in character, Gobber," said Snotlout, "So, no. No, I do not realize that."

"You also almost broke your promise to Hiccup back at the dock," said Gobber.

Snotlout raised an eyebrow and asked, in his snobby voice, "What, pray tell, are you talking about?"

Gobber shot Snotlout a look of annoyance and said, "The girl. I believe you promised Hiccup that you would stay focused on the mission. I could be wrong, but, last I checked, ogling a girl isn't staying focused on the mission."

Snotlout only laughed a little and said, "Ogling? I wasn't ogling. I was... trying to figure out who she was. I mean, she didn't look like a typical hunter, so who could she be?"

"Uh-huh," said Gobber, not believing him, "Just try to avoid her from now on. Unless you want Ryker to gauge out one of your eyes."

Before Snotlout could reply, he and Gobber heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes. They looked over at the bushes and saw a dragon come out and walk over to the big pile of scrap metal that was lying near by. It looked similar to a Gronkle, only it was larger, had a bigger wingspan, and it's eyes were closer to it's jaw than it's ears. It also had a larger tail bludgeon, a smaller jaw, and sharper teeth. The dragon took a bite out of the metal and laid down within seconds.

Gobber's eyes lit up as he watched the dragon and said, "Look at that big guy."

"Ugliest dragon I've ever seen," said Snotlout, looking at his nails and still acting like a snob; although, he had to admit, the dragon was pretty adorable.

"I think he's magnificent," said Gobber.

"Of course you do," said Snotlout, still acting snobby.

Gobber walked over to the dragon. The dragon sensed his presence and looked up to see Gobber waving at him. When Gobber held his hand out to the dragon, the dragon happily leaned into it and purred; he could sense that Gobber was not like the hunters. Gobber grabbed a piece of scrap metal and tossed it into the dragons' mouth, and the dragon happily chewed it up and swallowed it. Gobber hugged the dragon and the dragon purred once again. Snotlout did not want to admit this out loud, but he was happy to see Gobber bonding with a dragon just like him and the others.

The happy was short lived as the dragon was shoved and a deep voice yelled, "Out of my way, Grump! Fat beast."

Gobber looked up and saw that Ryker had shoved the dragon, Grump, when he kicked him. Topaz was standing right behind him and rolled her eyes at her brother as she walked past him.

"You know, you could just walk around him, Ryker," said Topaz.

"Shut up, Topaz," said Ryker, and then he kicked Grump once more before walking away from him.

Gobber glared daggers at Ryker for the way he was treating poor Grump. Snotlout was no more pleased than Gobber to see a dragon being treated so cruelly, especially when it did nothing wrong. If they were not undercover, Gobber would have wrung Ryker's. Topaz noticed the two looking at Grump and mistook them for being curious.

"I see you've noticed Grump," said Topaz, "Not exactly a beauty contest winner, but pretty handy."

"Yes, we have," said Snotlout, "I don't think I've ever seen a dragon like this one before."

"We don't usually catch this breed. It's called a Hot Burple," said Topaz. She then turned to Snotlout and said, "By the way, I just remembered that I never told you my name. It's Topaz Grimborn. That's my brother Ryker. My brother Viggo was the guy at the dock who kept Ryker in line."

"Topaz? What a beautiful name," said Snotlout. He caught a glimpse of Ryker and Gobber and cleared his throat before saying, "Very nice to meet you, Ms. Topaz."

"Pardon me, but do you auction off Grump as well?" Gobber asked.

Ryker laughed while Topaz simply answered, "He's not for sale."

"And even if he was, who would buy him?" Ryker asked, still laughing, "He eats all the scrap iron."

"That's what makes Hot Burples so unique," Topaz explained, "They eat all forms of metal. This dragon is the only known one in existence that has the ability to eat through a dragon-proof cage. Main reason we don't usually hunt this breed."

"Personally, I'd just as soon skin him and eat him," said Ryker. He then knelt down to Grump's level and got in his face as he said, "The fat would be tasty on toast squares with some yak butter. Eh, Grump?"

Gobber glared at Ryker, while Topaz whispered to Snotlout, "Personally, I prefer fruit spread."

Ryker shoved Grump's face and added to his own statement, "But Viggo likes having him around. Says there's a use for everyone."

Gobber finally got ready to teach him a lesson. At the moment, Gobber did not care that his and Snotlout's cover might get blown, he was too angry at him. Luckily, Snotlout got in the way, getting Ryker's attention on him, and talked to the man.

"When you two ladies are done blabbing about whatever, I'd like to do some business," said Snotlout, in his snobby voice, "Is that not what we came for?"

"What are you waiting for, my permission?" Ryker asked.

"I'm waiting for some 'me time'. A private place to count my money out of the eyesight or earshot of your goons. No offense intended to some," Snotlout explained, looking at Topaz as he said the last part. Topaz, in return, smiled at him, while Ryker glared. Snotlout then spotted Viggo's tent and said, "This will do. Come valet."

Gobber and Snotlout were just about to walk inside the tent, but Ryker stopped them and said, "Nobody goes inside Viggo's tent."

Knowing how important it was that they get inside, Snotlout chuckled and told Ryker, "Very nice. First of all, Sir Ulgerthorpe goes where Sir Ulgerthorpe wants. Second, I need to count my gold; it's not going to count itself." He then shot Ryker an angry look as he continued, "And unless you plan on building me a hut in the next five minutes, I will do it where I want!" He then calmed down and smiled as he said, "Of course, I can go somewhere else, and you can tell your brother-"

Not wanting to anger Viggo by losing a potential new client, Ryker caved and said, "Go ahead. Count your coin. But make it quick."

As he and Snotlout went to enter the tent, Gobber looked back at Grump, who was sleeping peacefully. As much as Gobber sympathized with the dragon, he knew that the mission had to be completed. He inwardly promised to rescue Grump and take him away from these monsters before leaving the island.

After they went inside the tent and closed it, Snotlout vented to Gobber, "Can you believe that barbarian? Having the nerve to question _my_ intentions?"

Gobber looked annoyed at Snotlout and said, "You can drop the act now. We're alone."

Snotlout shot Gobber a look and said, "Sir Ulgerthorpe does not kowtow to pressure, nor does he break character. He lives with it. He _becomes_ it."

Gobber narrowed his eyes and said, as he held up his hook in a threatening manner, "Well, you tell Sir Ulgerthorpe that if he doesn't help Sir Gobber find the manifest, this hook is going to become-"

"All right, fine," said Snotlout, dropping character. As he Gobber searched the tent for the manifest, Snotlout told Gobber, "You know, you could be a better scene partner. It is two-sided. I'm giving for myself and I would appreciate a return on that energy." Snotlout found a paper on the table and looked and said, "What's this? Looks important."

Before Snotlout could read the paper, Gobber grabbed and blew his nose with it. He then threw the paper away and said, "Not as important as the auction manifest." Snotlout gave him a blank stare, so he clarified, "Manifest, Snotlout. The list of dragons and where they're kept."

"I actually know what a manifest is, Gobber," said Snotlout, laughing like a snob.

Suddenly, the two of them heard a female voice call, "Excuse me, Sir Ulgerthorpe, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Snotlout immediately froze upon realizing who that was. "Topaz?" he whispered. He then cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and smiled. He then opened the curtains to the tent and said, "Oh, Ms. Topaz. So nice to see you. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Nobody's ever stood up to Ryker like that before," said Topaz, "Nobody besides Viggo anyway."

"You don't say," said Snotlout, who was secretly feeling nervous; he had no idea how to interpret what she was saying.

"I do say," said Topaz. And then she smiled and added, "And I'm impressed."

This took Snotlout by surprise. "Really?" Snotlout asked, almost breaking character. Luckily, he caught onto his mistake and corrected himself, "I mean, I just yelled at your brother. How are you impressed by that? Wouldn't that be disrespectful to your family?"

"I was impressed because you showed a quality that many men I've met just don't have. Guts," said Topaz, "It takes a lot of guts to stand up to Ryker. Not many people have those kinds of guts. I like that."

Snotlout smiled at the compliment and almost cheered. A beautiful girl was attracted to him and said he had guts! This kind of thing had never happened to him before! He would have jumped for joy had he not remembered that he needed to be undercover.

"Yes, well, I'm not one to kowtow to pressure," said Snotlout.

"And guts like that deserve to be rewarded," said Topaz.

"Really?" Snotlout asked, almost breaking character. He realized this and corrected himself and asked, "What did you have in mind?" He secretly hoped it would be a kiss.

Topaz smiled again and said, "How would you like to be the first to see the dragons that are going on auction?"

Now Snotlout was really surprised. "A first look at the dragons? Are you serious?"

"I sure am," said Topaz, "I have access to everything in at this auction; one of the perks of being Viggo's sister. You can see all of the dragons before anyone else, and see if anything catches your eye, basically giving you first dibs on the one you want. What do say?"

Snotlout pondered the idea. And then Gobber spoke up, "That's nice you to offer, but Sir Ulgerthorpe needs to count his gold and make sure he brought the right amount."

At this, Snotlout glared at Gobber and snapped, "You do not speak for me! I speak for myself!" He then turned to Topaz and said, "And I would be honored to have you show me where the dragons are kept."

"Great," said Topaz, "Oh, one more thing, totally not a big deal, but you should leave the valet. It's a private tour."

"I completely understand," said Snotlout, "Valet, wait back here a while. I shall return momentarily." Snotlout held his arm out to Topaz and said, "Lead the way, Ms. Topaz."

"I will," said Topaz, placing her hands on his arm, "Oh, and please, just call me Topaz."

"Very well, Topaz," said Snotlout, "And you may call me Ulgerthorpe."

"You got it," said Topaz.

And with that, the two walked away before Gobber had a chance to stop them. Gobber could not believe that Snotlout was breaking his promise to Hiccup and flirting with that girl. And, to make matters worse, he was not able to get the manifest to Hiccup.

Hiccup himself was making his way to the tent with Toothless, Morgan, Irene, and Lyra when they all noticed Snotlout walking off with Topaz. Hiccup groaned in annoyance at the scene.

"I don't believe this," said Hiccup, "He promised he wouldn't flirt with her."

"You know him?" Irene asked.

"He's my cousin," said Hiccup, "I told him not to flirt with that girl and focus on the mission! Why doesn't he ever listen?"

"Easy, Hiccup," said Morgan, "Let's not jump conclusions. There could be a reason."

"And we should find out what that is," said Lyra.

"What about the manifest?" Hiccup asked.

"That's why we have Irene," said Lyra, "She has a perfect memory. She can read a map or a manifest one time and remember everything she's seen."

"Really?" Hiccup asked.

"You bet," said Morgan, "That's why we brought her along. She can read the manifest and then put it back without the hunters ever knowing it was missing in the first place."

"Wow," said Hiccup, "That's amazing."

"That's what Morgan's sister, Alexa, said when we first met," said Irene.

"But my old mentor, Gobber, might be at Viggo's tent. And neither he, nor Snotlout would recognize you guys," Hiccup pointed, "One them might assume you guys are hunters and attack you."

"Good point," said Morgan. He wondered how they could convince both of that they are friends. His eyes landed on Toothless and he got an idea. "Would either of those two believe that Toothless would willingly leave your side?"

"They would believe that he would do that if I told him to. And if that person I sent him with was trustworthy," said Hiccup.

"Perfect," said Morgan, "Irene and I can take Toothless with us and get the manifest information, Gobber will see Toothless with us and acting like we're friends and know it to be true; we'll explain why we separated to him. Meanwhile, you and Lyra can follow your cousin and to where he and the girl are going."

Hiccup thought about it for a moment and then said, "That actually could work. Toothless, go with Morgan and Irene." Toothless was reluctant to leave his rider at first. Then Hiccup assured him, "I'll be fine, bub. Lyra's with me. Besides, Morgan and Irene need you more than I do. Gobber might not believe them if they say they're friends of mine. Please, Toothless, can you do this for me?"

Toothless nodded and obeyed his rider. The two groups then split up to do their own tasks. Hiccup was about ready to give Snotlout a piece of his mind.


	5. Showing the Dragons

**Showing the Dragons**

As Snotlout walked with Topaz, he stared at her and began to wonder about her. She seemed different from her brothers somehow. He could really put his finger on it, he felt that she waa different.

Topaz seemed to notice Snotlout staring because she asked him, "What is it?"

"Nothing," said Snotlout. He tried to think of something to tell her to explain why he was staring. Finally, his eyes landed on her her armor and her said, "Just admiring your magnificent armor."

"Oh, you like it?" Topaz asked, flattered, "It's a material called Gronkle Iron. This armor is light-weight and durable. The head of my spear is made from the same material."

"Fascinating," said Snotlout, "I believe I've heard of that before. A blacksmith on an island called Berk used it to make all kinds of weapons, armor, and other items from it."

"You've been to Berk?" Topaz asked.

"Yes," said Snotlout, "I came upon the island during my travels in the north. I found their chief, a fellow named Stoick Haddock, to be a pleasant man. Although he could be loud and angry at times."

"Loud and angry?" Topaz asked, curious.

"Yes. He yelled and barked at everyone most of the time I was there," said Snotlout, "And you would not believe his temper. He gets madder than Monstrous Nightmare with a toothache."

"That mad, huh?" Topaz asked, interested.

"Like you wouldn't believe," said Snotlout, "I mean, there was a reason he almost earned the name "Stoick the Vindictive" I heard."

"Vindictive?" Topaz asked, "That makes him sound dangerous."

"Oh, he can be," said Snotlout, "I heard that when an old enemy abducted his son, he almost killed the guy."

"Really?" Topaz asked.

"Yes," said Snotlout, "But enough about that. What about you? How did someone like you ever get to be a hunter."

"It started out when I was little," Topaz explained, "My grandfather was the head of our clan and expected all from his defendants. After my mother and father died, my grandfather took it upon himself to raise my brothers and me to be dragon hunters in the hopes that one of us would be his successor. The training was hard and pretty brutal. We all got scars to prove it."

To prove her point, Topaz lifted the back of her tunic and revealed a scar that looked like a set of claw marks. Not just any claw marks either, these were clearly made by a dragon.

"Oh my gods," said Snotlout.

"Got that from a Monstrous Nightmare," said Topaz, pulling her tunic back down.

"How old were you?" Snotlout asked.

"I was nine," said Topaz, "I had been training for a month and my grandfather wanted me ready to hunt dragons as soon as possible."

Snotlout could not believe what he heard. Topaz's grandfather had a nine year old girl fight a Monstrous Nightmare, one of the most dangerous dragons in the book, to have her ready to hunt dragons sooner? How could a family be so messed up? His family and other families on Berk may have taught their children to fight when they were small, but they never threw them into the ring to fight a dangerous dragon after only a few months of training! At that moment, Snotlout was so angry he nearly snapped.

Suddenly, the two heard three different sounds at once. Roaring, blasting, and screaming. It was not far from their location either.

"What's going on?" Snotlout asked.

"I don't know," said Topaz in concern, "But, obviously, someone's in trouble. They need help!"

Topaz rushed towards the sound, spear in hand. Snotlout reached out to her and shouted, "Topaz, wait!"

Concerned for her safety, Snotlout threw all caution out the window and ran after her. Together, the two rushed in the direction of the noises until they found some injured hunters. Topaz rushed to the nearest one to check his injuries while Snotlout stood with his eyes wide in shock; he may not care much for the dragon hunters, but this was rough to look at.

"Are you alright?" Topaz asked.

"I've been better," the hunter answered, grunting in pain.

"What happened here?" Topaz asked.

"We were just patrolling the area... When we were attacked... By a Night Fury," said another hunter.

Snotlout gasped in fear; they must have meant Toothless! It was the only explanation that made sense. Luckily, Topaz and the hunters only assumed he was fearful of the dragon itself.

"Are you sure it was a Night Fury?" Topaz asked.

"Believe me... We know a Night Fury when we see one," said a third hunter, between grunts, "We've fought those dragon riders before."

"Was the rider with the dragon?" Snotlout asked, "Taller than me, kind of skinny, one metal leg?"

"No," said the first hunter, "The dragon was alone."

"What? That doesn't make sense," said Topaz, "Viggo and Ryker said that the dragon is never apart from his master."

"Well, this time, it was," said the second hunter.

Now Snotlout was starting to worry. Hiccup and Toothless were rarely apart. If Toothless attacked those hunters and Hiccup was not with him, that could mean Hiccup might be in trouble! He wanted to go look for, so he tried thinking of an excuse to get away. Suddenly, he felt someone grab him from behind and pull him away. As he was being pulled away, Snotlout's helmet fell over his eyes, blocking his vision.

"Unhand me, you roughien!" Snotlout yelled, "Do you know who I am?!"

"Yeah," a male voice answered, "You're my annoying cousin."

Snotlout immediately recognized the voice and lifted up his helmet to see an annoyed Hiccup standing in front of him.

"Hiccup! I was just about to look for you!" Snotlout said with a smile, dropping character. He then noticed an unfamiliar girl standing next to him and asked, "Who's that?"

"A fellow dragon lover," said Hiccup.

"Name's Lyra. Lyra Calhoun," said Lyra. She then grabbed Hiccup's arm and said, "Hiccup's future bride."

"What?!" Snotlout asked in shock.

"No you're not!" Hiccup said to Lyra as he pulled his arm away. He turned to Snotlout and said, "And, Snotlout, you were supposed to get a manifest. You also promised you wouldn't flirt with that girl."

"I wasn't," Snotlout denied.

"Oh really?" Hiccup asked, not believing Snotlout, "I just saw you walking with her and she had her arms wrapped around your arm. How is that not flirting?"

"Okay, maybe it was a little bit," said Snotlout, "But this girl is Viggo and Ryker's younger sister. She has access to everything here. Including where the dragons are kept."

"Are you serious?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"Yes," said Snotlout, "You see, I intimidated Ryker into letting me inside Viggo's tent, and Topaz, that's her name, was so impressed by my guts that she offered to show me the dragons before anyone else."

"That's amazing," said Hiccup, "We might not need a manifest after all."

"We won't?" Lyra asked.

"No," said Hiccup, "We just need to follow Snotlout and Topaz. Topaz will lead Snotlout right to the dragons, and we can follow them."

"Great idea," said Lyra. She looked back at Snotlout and said, "You better get back to her before she realizes you're gone."

"Okay," said Snotlout. He was just about to leave when he stopped to tell his cousin, "Oh, by the way, Hiccup, you need to do something about your dragon. He almost revealed that there were dragon riders here."

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"You heard me," said Snotlout, "Your dragon almost got got me in trouble. You know, his behavior is a reflection on you."

"Snotlout, what are you talking about?" Hiccup asked, "Toothless is with Lyra's friends meeting up with Gobber."

"Really?" Snotlout asked, "Those hunters back there said that they were attacked by a Night Fury. And Toothless is the only Night Fury for miles, probably the only one in existence. Unless there's actually two Night Furies, who else could it be?"

Lyra let out a snort and said, "Two Night Furies? That crazy. Those hunters clearly saw something else and thought it was a Night Fury."

"Those guys saud they were sure it waa a Night Fury," said Snotlout.

"And you think they're reliable?" Lyra asked, "Dragon Hunters are idiots; with exception of the Grimborn siblings."

"Good point, Lyra," said Snotlout, "See ya."

With that, Snotlout went back to where Topaz was. Which was a good thing, because she appeared to be looking for him.

"I'm over here, Topaz," said Snotlout, getting back into character.

"Oh, there you are," said Topaz, approaching Snotlout, "I was starting to think that that dragon got to you."

Snotlout scoffed and said, "Preposterous! No dragon could hurt me."

"The men said could be a Night Fury," said Topaz, "Those dragons don't exactly have a reputation for being push overs."

"Not likely," said Snotlout, sounding like everything was fine, "Night Furies are very scarce, so it's doubtful that one would be here where dragons are about to be sold."

Topaz thought about what he said and then responded, "Maybe you're right. But we should probably keep our eyes peeled, just to be sure."

"Good idea," said Snotlout, "You stay focused up ahead and I'll cover the rear."

Topaz smiled and said, "Teamwork. I like it. Let's go, Ulgerthorpe. The cages are this way."

She led Snotlout to several cages containing dragons. Snotlout did his best to hide the disgust he was feeling at that very moment. And he seemed to be succeeding because Topaz did not seem to notice. She walked over to a cage and started to explain the dragon inside.

"You've probably guessed that this one is a Speed Stinger," Topaz said as she showed off the dragon. "But this one is a unique type. Take a look at its feet."

Snotlout looked at the dragon's feet closely and his eyes went wide when he noticed the webbing on its toes. That was when he realized that this was the same Speed Stinger he and his friends had taken care of a while back. He then remembered that he had to talk to Topaz.

"Webbing," said Snotlout, in a surprised tone. "How unusual."

"I know, right?" Topaz said, a little amused. "That webbing helps them run on water. My crew and I caught a whole herd of these buggers."

"No kidding?" Snotlout asked, a little uneasy.

"Nope," said Topaz. She pointed left and said, "right over there."

Snotlout looked in the direction and nearly gasped when he saw the herd of Speed Stingers. Speed Stingers may not be his favorite dragon, but he by no means wished this fate on them.

"Moving on to the next dragon. It's right this way," said Topaz as she led the way. She noticed he was not following her but hanging behind to look at the Speed Stingers. "Ulgerthope? You okay?"

"Yes!" Snotlout quickly said as he regained his composure. "Of course. Lead the way, Topaz."

"Okay. Let's go," said Topaz, oblivious to the reason behind Snotlout's action. She led him to another set of cages and said, "These, are the Thunderdrums. Four to be exact. Caught them on an island in the East."

Snotlout immediately recognized the four Thunderdrums as Thornado and his adopted sons, Bing, Bam and Boom. The three younger Thunderdrums had grown over the years, but that was definitely them. Hiccup and Lyra were hiding and Hiccup recognized them as well.

"No. Thornado," Hiccup whispered. "Bing, Bam and Boom too."

"You know those dragons?" Lyra asked out of curiosity.

"Yes," Hiccup said. "Thornado was my father's dragon until he released him into the wild to raise those three Thunderdrums, who babies and orphans at the time."

"I guess that means you have another reason to free these dragons," said Lyra.

"I guess I do," said Hiccup. "I wonder how many more of my old friends are here."

"Only one way to find out," said Lyra. "Keep going."

Hiccup nodded and continued to follow Snotlout and Topaz. At one point, Thornado noticed Hiccup and tried to get his attention. Hiccup signaled for him to be quiet. Topaz heard Thornado and mistook it for being difficult.

"Hey! Shut up in there!" Topaz angrily shouted as she walked up to the cage. Thornado saw Hiccup's signal again and this time obeyed. Topaz mistakenly thought he was obeying her. "That's what I thought. Moving on."

She then led Snotlout to a cave. Hiccup and Lyra followed them inside, careful not to blow their cover. Snotlout kept close to Topaz she led him to a row of cages, each one with a different large dragon inside.

"Right here, we have a Scauldron," said Topaz. "Said to be powerful enough to blast the scales of a Screaming Death."

"So I've heard," said Snotlout, still in character.

"Right here is the Boneknapper," Topaz explained as she gestured to to the poor beast. "This dragon, in case you don't already know, wears the bones of deceased dragons like armor. A couple of my crew actually thought it was flying dragon skeleton at first, if you can believe that."

"I actually don't find that hard to believe," Snotlout replied.

"You haven't seen our best catch," Topaz said with confidence. "Follow me."

"Okay," Snotlout said as he followed the girl. All the while thinking, ' _Great, they've got our old Boneknapper friend and Scauldy too. Who's next?_ '

Along the way, Snotlout noticed a caged Quaken and asked Topaz, "Excuse me, Topaz. But what type of dragon is this? It's most unusual compared to the others so far."

She turned around to see and said, "Oh, that? That's a newly discovered species called the Catastrophic Quaken. Some hunters caught this one and his pals on an island called Dark Deep."

"Extraordinary," Snotlout said.

"It sure is," said Topaz, smiling proudly at her brothers' soldiers work. "But the number one prize is one more cage down."

Snotlout continued to follow the female hunter as she led him further down. Hiccup and Lyra secretly followed them as well. As they got closer to the cage, both Hiccup and Snotlout wondered what type of dragon Topaz was going to show them next. When Topaz finally stopped, Snotlout and Hiccup's eyes widened in shock at what they saw. Trapped inside the cage was their old Typhoomerang friend... Torch.

"No. Torch," Hiccup whispered. "Not you too."

"I take it that's another friend of yours," Lyra guessed.

"I briefly took care of him when he was a baby," said Hiccup, "And when he got bigger, he helped save my village."

"So he's a hero too," Lyra concluded. "Don't worry, Hiccup, we'll save him."

Topaz misinterpreted Snotlout's expression and said, "I know, right? Amazing. This one, the Typhoomerang, was particularly difficult. It nearly killed a good number of my crew. I'm planning to compensate them and their families with the gold we get from this one."

"Yes," said Snotlout, still in shock but maintaining his character. "I'm sure he will sell for a great amount of gold."

"That's the idea," said Topaz. "Well, we better get going. The bidding's gonna start soon. And Viggo might not be too happy that I brought you down here."

As the two started to walk away, Hiccup and Lyra moved to hide again. And then Snotlout asked a question.

"I've heard rumors about the Dragon Riders," Snotlout said in character. "How they love dragons. Aren't you worried that they might steal these dragons you have before you can sell them?"

Topaz only laughed and said, "I would love to see anyone try. Even if they get in this cave, they're not getting out."

"What do you mean?" Snotlout asked curiously.

Topaz smiled confidently and said, "I got suspicious that they might try. So, a couple days ago, I set up a few hidden booby traps."

"What?" Snotlout asked in surprise.

"There are hidden booby traps in all of the places where the dragons are kept," said Topaz. "And I hid them so well, nobody but me could find them."

Hiccup and Lyra were about to secretly escape and warn tbe others when they suddenly found themselves pinned tto the cave wall by a metal net. Topaz and Snotlout swiftly turned around to see what happened when they heard the noise to find Hiccup and Lyra trying to get out of the trap they had fallen into.

"What is this?" Topaz asked in surprise.

"We're here to free these dragons!" Lyra shouted as she tried to free herself and Hiccup. "They're not property for you to sell!"

"So you're two of the Dragon Riders? Interesting," Topaz said with interest. She looked at them closely and noticed Hiccup's leg. She looked him in the face and said, "I'm gonna guess you're Hiccup, the leader. Am I right?"

"What about it?" Hiccup asked, glaring at her.

"You know what, never mind. You don't have to answer, you're pretty accurate to my brother's description of you," said Topaz. "Oh, that's right, we haven't met. I'm Topaz Grimborn, sister of Ryker and Viggo Grimborn. Nice to meet you, Hiccup Haddock."

"Wish I could say the same," said Hiccup.

"If you're here, then there are obviously more riders," said Topaz. "And you're gonna help me draw them out of hiding."

"Why would I do that?" Hiccup asked.

"Because... I'm not giving you any choice," Topaz said. "Your riders will get one look at you captured and surrender without any problem."

"It would work if it weren't for me!" Snotlout shouted, dropping character.

Topaz turned around just in time to block Snotlout's punch with her hand kick him in the stomach, sending him flying into the wall. Snotlout looked up dizzily and saw Topaz walking up to him and glaring.

"You're one of them?" She asked.

"Y-yes," said Snotlout. "My real name is Snotlout Jorgensen. I come from Berk. And I am a Dragon Rider and proud of it."

"So you've been lying to my brothers and me the whole time you've been here?" Topaz asked in anger.

"I had to lie about who I was," Snotlout said as he stood up holding his stomach. "It was the only way to save the dragons."

"Well, you picked the wrong people to fool," Topaz said as sbe narrowed her eyes at him. She grabbed Snotlout back the back of his neck and pulled him with her to an empty cage. She opened the cage, threw him inside and then locked it. She then told him, "Stick around."

She then walked over to Hiccup and Lyra. She hit a pressure point on Lyra's neck whic made her lose consciousness. She then removed the metal net and allowed both Lyra and Hiccup to fall to the ground.

"Lyra!" Hiccup screamed as he tried to shake her awake. He glared at Topaz and asked in a demanding tone, "What did you do to her?"

"I just hit a pressure point on her neck that made her fall asleep," Topaz explained. "I can only handle one hostage, and you're the one I really need to capture the others."

Hiccup growled as he lunged at her. He tried to punch her, but she caught his arm and threw him to tbe ground. He was about to get back up when Topaz held him down and tied his hands behind his back. She then grabbed Lyra and threw her in with Snotlout.

"Your other friends will be joining you shortly," Topaz casually said to Snotlout and Lyra. She then grabbed Hiccup, forced him to stand up and said, "Let's go."


	6. Caught

**Caught**

Back at Viggo's tent, Gobber was surprised to see Toothless with a pair of strangers. They explained to him that they knew Hiccup and that he and their other friend went to go watch over Snotlout and Topaz. Morgan also explained that Irene had a perfect memory.

"So, she only has to look at the manifest one time she can make a perfect copy?" Gobber asked, trying to understand.

"Yes," said Morgan. "That way we can have our own and the Hunters will never know we were here."

"Except for one problem," a feminine voice said. The curtains were parted and revealed Topaz. "I already know."

Gobber, Toothless, Morgan and Irene jumped in surprise. They all got battle ready as Morgan said, "You can't fight all of us at once."

"I'd stand down if I were you," said Topaz. And then she brought Hiccup into view. "Unless you wanna hurt your leader, that is."

"Don't listen to her," Hiccup said. "Help the dragons."

"Oh yeah, sure, rescue a bunch of giant reptiles and abandon your tribe's future chief," Topaz sarcastically said. "That sounds smart. You really expect me to believe you would jeopardize your tribe's furture like that? You know as well as I do that without him, your tribe will be without the next rightful chief. And that could lead to a power struggle in the future. You willing to pay that price?"

Seeing no other choice, Gobber, Irene, and Morgan dropped their weapons and held up their hands in surrender. Toothless even lowered his head, not willing to harm is rider and best friend.

"That's what I thought," said Topaz, smirking.

"What's going on over there?!" Ryker's voice asked as he went to Viggo's tent with a few other hunters. His eyes went wide when he saw who his sister had captured. "Haddock?!"

"And friends," Topaz added. She then said to the other hunters, "Boys, round these guys up and lock them in the cell I put two of their friends in. And put the dragon with the rest."

The hunters moved to restrain Gobber, Irene, Morgan, and Toothless. Once they had done that, they proceeded to cart everyone away. Ryker stayed behind to interrogate Hiccup.

"If you're here, then the rest of your team can't be far. Where are they?" Ryker demanded. Hiccup stayed silent. Ryker grabbed a handful of Hiccup's hair and pulled it, making him scream in pain, as he yelled, "Tell me!"

"You're wasting your time, big brother. He's not gonna tell you," Topaz nonchalantly said. She then smirked and said, "And he doesn't have to. It's obvious they're with the dragons."

"They'll never surrender!" Hiccup yelled.

"They will when they see our leverage," said Topaz.

"Leverage?" Hiccup asked.

"She means you, Haddock," said Ryker.

* * *

Meanwhile at the dragon cages, the riders were still looking for their dragons. The fact that Fishlegs kept panicking about being caught.

"Fishlegs, you need to calm down," said Juno. "If you make too much noise, we'll be found out."

"I can't help it," Fishlegs whined. "I can't find my Meatlug, we haven't heard from Hiccup and the others, and we're deep in enemy territory at risk of being caught and thrown into a Whispering Death hole!"

"Ae won't be caught as long as you keep your voice down!" Uranus snapped.

"Guess again," said a female voice. The three turned around and saw Topaz standing a few feet away.

"Oh great," Juno groaned. She brandished her spear and said, "You two get the dragons. I can handle her."

"Oh, I'm not here to fight," Topaz calmly said. "I'm here to tell you and your friends to surrender."

"And what makes you think we will?" Uranus asked, brandishing his own weapon. "There's one of you and two of us."

"Um, I think you mean three," said Fishlegs.

"No. Two," said Uranus. "I'm not counting you."

"Hey!" Fishlegs snapped, clearly offended.

"You're going to surrender because... I'm not giving you any choice," said Topaz. She turned her head to her right and said, "Show 'em, Cuyler."

Right after Topaz said that, a hunter came into view. Fishlegs gasped at who he had with him; the hunter had pulled Hiccup with him, and he had his hands bound behind his back and his mouth was gagged by a cloth.

"Surrender if you value his life," the hunter warned them, holding a dagger to Hiccup's throat.

"Okay. Okay. You win," said Fishlegs, holding his hands up in surrender.

Hiccup tried to tell the other two not to surrender, but his words were muffled by the gag. Juno did not see any other way around it other than her dragon. She was about to do her dragon call when she noticed Uranus walking towards Topaz and Cuyler with his sword in hand.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Topaz asked in surprise. "One false move and Cuyler will kill him."

"You think I care what happens to him?" Uranus asked in a cold tone. "He isn't from my home, nor am I from his. He's nothing to me."

"Uranus, think about what you're doing!" Juno screamed. "I think that guy's actually gonna do it!"

"Like that makes much of a difference to me," said Uranus, raising his sword. "He's not my problem!"

Before anyone could strike, Uranus' sword was knocked out of his hand and he himself was knocked to the ground. Looking up, Uranus saw that his attacker was Astrid. She looked back at the hunters and jeld her hands up in surrender.

"You traitor," Uranus growled, glaring at Astrid.

"You're the one who was about to betray us by attacking with our leader at blade point," Astrid retorted.

Finally, Hiccup got the gag off and yelled, "No, Astrid! Don't worry about me! Get the others and gdt out of here!"

"No!" Astrid shouted. "I'm not abandoning you, Hiccup!"

"Astrid-" Hiccup began to say sadly.

"Guys, round 'em up," said Topaz.

Right on cue, several more hunters came out of hiding and restrained Astrid, Juno, Fishlegs, and Uranus. Uranus shot one last glare at Astrid as they were led away. Now Juno knew there was no way should call her dragon; it would be too dangerous, she might attack her and the others or get caught herself. Topaz and the hunters went around and, using Hiccup as a hostage, captured Heather, Gordon, and the twins.

* * *

Everyone later found themselves locked up in a cell with Snotlout and Lyra. After some time of waiting, all three Grimborn siblings came in with some more hunters, one of whom was holding the chest containing Berk's gold.

"You did an excellent job capturing them, little sister," Viggo said to the girl in a praising manner. "I always knew you had talent."

"Only because you and Ryker helped teach me," said Topaz.

"That girl's your sister?" Tuffnut asked in confusion.

"Yeah. I'm not seeing much of a resemblance here," Ruffnut commented. "I mean aside from the hair. And the eyes. And I think your about the same skin tone."

"She got her looks from out mother," said Ryker. "Not that it's any of your business."

Viggo cleared his throat and said, "Getting back to business. Assuming this is all of Berk's gold, I'm guessing Berk will take quite the hit on tbe bottom line."

"Sure looks that way to me," said Topaz, smiling a bit as she shrugged her shoulders. "How unfortunate for Berk."

"Indeed, Topaz," said Viggo, almost sounding pleased. "But please note that it is all going towards a good cause. As are your dragons."

As if on cue, two hunters came in with a restrained Toothless.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried.

"All of them," said Viggo as he walked over to the growling Night Fury. "This one will sell for a considerable price. Almost a pity to sell him, really. But don't worry, I'll get over it. If you behave, I may even let you watch."

"Hold on, Viggo!" Topaz shouted. "You said that the Typhoomerang would be sold for the highest!"

"There's been a change of plans," said Viggo. "Night Furies are quite rare."

"Do you know how many men nearly died capturing that Typhoomerang?! I need to compensate their families!"

"Relax, you'll still get a fair amount for it," said Viggo. "Which should be plenty to divide up amongst the families. And, if not, I can always give you some of whatever we get for tbe Night Fury and the rest. Sound fair."

"Yes, it does," Topaz said with a smile. "Thank you."

They were all just about to leave when Morgan shouted, "Hold it!" They stopped and turned around to face him. "What good cause are the stolen gold and those dragons going towards?"

"Uh, the auction. Obviously," said Topaz.

"So is that all this is about?" Irene asked. "Money?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow," said Viggo.

"You're hunting, caging, and selling these innocent creatures just so you can be rich?!" Juno angrily asked.

Ryker only laughed at her and said, "Hope you don't mean the dragons."

"We do, actually," said Lyra, as angry as Juno. "Those dragons aren't your property to sell. They're living creatures."

"That's right!" Gordon agreed. "They're not items for you to sell like weapons or jewellery!"

The Berkians were taken by surprise by what they were hearing. These people were actually defending dragons. True it had earlier been established that their home cares about dragons, but it was still new to hear people from another land actually defending dragons.

"You people are quite strange, you know that?" Viggo asked, almost amused. "Do you think I care what they are? I don't, actually. All I care about is which ones are worth more. Business is business."

"You evil monster!" Uranus yelled.

"I prefer the term "Business man" actually," said Viggo, unfazed by the insult. "Good day to you all."

Just as they were leaving, Snotlout ran to the front of the cage and desperately called out, "Topaz! Don't go!"

Topaz stopped in her tracks when she heard her name called. Ryker signaled for her to ignore him and keep following, but she told him to go ahead without her and that she would catch up. As her brothers left, Topaz walked over to the cell, an angry look on her face.

"What do you want, Snotlout?" She asked.

"You told her your real name?" Fishlegs asked in confusion.

"After I was caught, yes," said Snotlout. He looked back at Topaz and said, "Topaz, please, don't let them sell any of these dragons. Set them free. You can do that."

"You expect me to betray my brothers?" Topaz asked. "You're crazy."

"You're better than them," said Snotlout. "You have a good heart. I've seen it. You cared about those people, a lot more than Viggo or Ryker. You can't want to do this to those innocent dragons."

"They're hardly innocent," Topaz coldly said. "Let me spell it out for you. I don't give a shit about dragons. I value the lives of humans, but that does not mean I care about dragons. The only reason I haven't thrown you, Snotlout, into a Whispering Death hole is because I'm not through with you yet. I'm gonna beat your ass myself for your lies and decite."

With that, Topaz turned around and walked away. Snotlout pleadingly called to her, but she ignored him. Now all everyone could do was try to think of an escape plan.


End file.
